by Shadi Kanaan, Executive Director

Let me start by telling you how proud I am to serve one of the top 5 (of 32) dental components in California. It’s a humbling and exciting responsibility. As I continue to settle into my role, I am continually reminded that serving a large and diverse membership like ours is a complex task. To meet the needs of our membership, the staff, and leadership at SCCDS must be innovative, creative, and dedicated. I’m happy to say we are rising to the challenge. 

Change is the law of life

John F. Kennedy once said “Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.” Prior to the COVID pandemic, the Dental Society had been staying relatively steady on its course, doing the same things on an annual basis primarily looking to the past and present. Prior to 2020, the Society enjoyed some of its highest attendance rates at our monthly membership meetings, at times having more than 300 members present at Villa Ragusa in downtown Campbell. But, indeed, change is the law of life.

The COVID pandemic forced SCCDS and thousands of other organizations nationwide to evaluate and, in many cases, dramatically change the way they conducted their business facilitated by new and innovative technology.  Once that door was opened, it could never again be closed. The rise in remote meetings, dramatic increases in inflation, and supply-chain nightmares all fueled the increase in costs associated with hosting events. Having the flexibility of attending meetings online allowed members to obtain CE without having to drive across the city after a full day in the office. As “normal” returned to the world of dentistry, SCCDS worked to provide options for attending GMM in person or online. As in-person attendance continued to decline, the costs and logistics for operating a hybrid format became more difficult to ignore. The data trends consistently show that online meetings are here to stay. 

Change can lead to feelings of discomfort and uncertainty. But in order for our Dental Society to continue to grow, we must press on past that discomfort to get to where we want to be. 

General Membership Meetings

SCCDS is one of a handful of societies offering General Membership Meetings at no additional cost to members. To continue to provide this benefit and to reach more members, we plan to hold all 2024 General Membership Meetings online (8 total). In 2025, meetings will continue to be offered online but we will increase the number of GMMs from eight (8) to eleven (11). This will give more members the ability to obtain more free CE units through premium educational presentations by world-renowned speakers, free from the limitations of travel. 

We know that dentistry thrives when dentists can connect with each other. That’s why we plan to better support networking and socializing with your peers and provide you with more meaningful opportunities to do so. To accomplish this, we’ll repurpose the funds previously used to host GMMs in person in order to bring two large upscale events to the Silicon Valley. 

An Incredible Event Lineup for 2024

In January 2024, we will combine our President’s Reception and Installation events to create the first annual Winter Gala! This event will include an awards ceremony to highlight member excellence and contributions to the dental profession over the year. The event will also feature special presentations and a roundtable discussion with the deans of some of California’s most prestigious dental schools. 

For our second event, we’re proud to announce the Silicon Valley Dental Expo, where we’ll bring two days of inspiring lectures, exhibit hall demos and deals as well as a few surprises! This event is being designed with the entire team in mind and we’re encouraging dentists from all over the Bay Area to attend. Members can look forward to an experience like no other. 

Details for both events will be coming soon so watch your email, follow us on social media, and bookmark sccds.org to be among the first to sign up.

Bringing even more value to your membership, we are also planning up to two social events per month for members. Each month, we’ll have one themed member mixer for continued professional development and networking. We’ll complement this with a second monthly event that will allow members to kick back and have some fun with their families, teams, and colleagues. Over the last year, we piloted this program with a very successful event at TopGolf. I can’t wait to share some of the creative event ideas we have in store for you! 

It’s a Great Time to be an SCCDS Member

On top of all these great events, we’ve also increased availability for our compliance courses and trainings. Our partnership with CEA has yielded the HR Compliance video series, available for purchase on sccds.org. We are also having discussions with providers to enhance our CPR training program and look forward to sharing more about this in the near future.

As if all of that weren’t enough, we’re working to address staffing shortfalls through our partnership with Swiss Monkey, the leading voice in remote staffing solutions for the dental industry. We’ve also increased and expanded our communications program, including a brand new customer service chat function on our website and a reinvigorated social media presence.

In short, it’s a great time to be an SCCDS member.

The success of the Society doesn’t happen without the commitment and attention to detail from its staff. Coming into the society, my greatest asset as a new Executive Director was the staff who have been committed to the success of not only the society but its membership as well. Our 3 longest-tenured Staff – Megan Duncan, Deputy Director of Events & Membership (20+ years), Erich Larsen, Director of Operations (10+ years), & Katie Lam Deputy Director of Finance (10+ years), truly understand the needs of our members. Their long history with our society gives them insight into what has worked and what hasn’t. 

Thank you for allowing us the opportunity to help you manage change. Throughout all the changes we’ve seen in the recent past and all the inevitable changes in the future, one thing will never change. We will always work to offer innovative, thoughtful, and valuable services that serve you, your practices, and your teams.